If there's one truth that can be guaranteed in this universe it's that Everything will divide opinion like few other games. The scientific simulation comes courtesy of Mountain maker David OReilly and promises the impossible: the ability to control everything in the universe – including the very fabrics of space itself. But can such an outlandish ambition really be realised?

Yes it can, and the results are impressive to say the least. Your adventures can start as small as a microbe or as large as an entire solar system, and through ascending and descending through the planes of existence you'll garner a new appreciation for the scale of the world within which we exist. If you're the type of person that's ever looked in a pond and acknowledged the majesty of the ecosystem which inhabits it, then this is a game for you.

Well, we say "game", but that's obviously going to be a point of contention. There are no towers to climb or skill trees to complete here: just an existential stroll through the essence of life itself. Entities – be they as base as a bumblebee or as spectacular as a supernova – can bond and pro-create through the ritual of dance (yes, that is what they're calling it these days), but ultimately there's no real objective here other than exploring the simulation itself.

If that all sounds pretentious then this is maybe not a release for you, as late British philosopher Alan Watts provides a backdrop through recorded speeches and seminars. Personally, we found it all rather fascinating: there's something strangely inspiring about the drip-feed of philosophy while you commandeer a cactus. The game's got its tongue in its cheek just enough to provide levity to the dense subject matter, yet it still manages to get its point across.

And it's hard not to appreciate the deftness with which it navigates such a delicate tightrope; for a game that appears to devote itself to the macchiato quaffing brigade, it also enables you to generate oil rigs in outer-space. There's a playfulness here which actually accentuates the message at its core: that we are all one and the same. At least that's what we got out of it: we're sure someone with an extra ounce of intelligence will have more to say.

But that's precisely the point really: Everything is a game that's designed to make you think about who you are and your place within the world. The actual act of "play" is straightforward, and those looking for firmer rules and mechanics will leave unfulfilled, but as a sandbox it's a real revelation to navigate: the ever-increasing scale is awe-inspiring and, honestly, a genuine technical accomplishment given that it runs on the PlayStation 4 at all.

If there can be any criticism beyond the fact that it's simply not for everyone, then, it's that the lack of PlayStation VR support is a glaring shame. This is an experience that's practically begging for the all-encompassing, sensory overload that only virtual reality enables – and yet you're going to have to make do with experiencing it on your television screen. For now.

Conclusion

Everything is not for everyone, and thus it's a hard game to score. This existential experience is not quite as pretentious as it appears to be, but it will still leave you mindful of your worth to the world – and the universe as a whole. Honestly, if you've ever found yourself enchanted by the sheer scale of space itself, then this game does an incredible job of communicating that through rudimentary interactivity alone.

I really would like to try this out, but it's just not something I want to take a chance not liking and spend money on. Still hard for me to get past the summersaulting walking mechanics. I don't understand why they didn't just make them move a little more normal... I guess flips are fun...🙃

@get2sammyb I've got to be honest, I wasn't expecting that review or that score, but I'm glad you like it so much!

Regarding Alan Watts' narration - is it a constant presence, or does it come in and out depending on what's happening? Either way, I love that it's in there at all.

Lastly, this sentence:

"And it's hard not to appreciate the deftness with which it navigates such a delicate tightrope; for a game that appears to devote itself to the macchiato quaffing brigade, it also enables you to generate oil rigs in outer-space."

@Quintumply The narration pops up when you 'Think' at specific orbs. It makes sense in the game, but the long and short of it is that it's not playing all the time, but just enough to be interesting.

@ellsworth004 Yeah the rolling creatures is a bit weird but the game never would have got finished if they had to animate them all. It's absurd the number of things you can control in this — I think I'm at 2% completion!

@THRILLHOU Haha, I love macchiatos, too! Just was the most hipster drink I could think of.

Best way to think of our size in the universe is to take every grain of sand on the planet and multiply it by 100. That's how many stars there are. That's free information, you don't have to buy this now

@get2sammyb That's actually a question they haven't answered yet, as scientists can only make an estimate based on the size of the "observable" universe, which right now is only 14 billion light years. There could be more, or less, or we could be part of a multiverse, or this could all be a simulation

For a game described as "mind-blowing" the review, if you can call it that, is pretty slim. I've no idea what it is the player controls or how the player interacts with...everything. Is it repayable (probably), does it end? Why is the animation so wacky? The report card for this review would be "could try harder".

@netmike65 You assume the role of objects, entities, animals, creatures, planets, star systems, galaxies, matter from a third-person perspective and move them around with the analogue stick. You can ascend or descend through different scales of objects (Grass > Tree > Continent > Planet > Sun > Solar System).

It does not end. The animation is wacky because there are literally millions of controllable "objects" here.

Interesting. Sounds more like some sort of interactive art piece than a real game, though. Which I have no problem with, I just think it's a good thing to approach something with the proper set of expectations.

And yeah, the universe is a mind-blowingly vast place. It's so big, in fact, that it allows you to see into the past. Even with relatively close objects. The light from the sun, for example, takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth, which means we're always perceiving the sun as it was eight minutes in the past. And the further out in space you look, the bigger those timespans become, until you realize you're seeing objects as they were billions of years in the past, long before human life was even a possibility on this Earth.

Even better: almost every element on this Earth, of which all life is ultimately composed, was forged in the cores of ancient stars. Which means we're literally what happens when star matter becomes self-aware.

Wow, didn't know the game ended up being actually good. With such a neat concept, I expected the game to fail like most games that has a good idea with poor execution (hardware rivals, NMS, Troll and I, Calvino Noir, Koi, Order 1886, 100ft Robot golf, etc.) but I guess I was wrong. I'm intrigued on getting this game but it is better off that I wait for a price cut since I will be very busy with Genso Wanderer, Toukiden 2, Dragon Quest Builders and Momadora this weekend.